Nintendo is attempting to bully other game developers. They can’t enforce this patent in the US, but they can wave the patent and a cease and desist letter menacingly at their competitors. Thing is, it’s generating bad will against Nintendo and the first time a company calls Nintendo on their shit, Nintendo is gunna lose. The patent is either so specific it won’t apply to another game or its broader and there is a mountain of prior art.

From my reading, it’s the latter. The patent seems to try to monopolize the idea of throwing an object to catch a monster. Which has been done so, so many times before.